Rakuten exports low-cost 5G technology to a German company for 250 billion yen

Recently Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition reported the following:

楽天、低コスト5G技術を輸出　ドイツ企業に2500億円で

モバイル・5G

2021年8月4日 23:35 (2021年8月5日 5:04更新) [有料会員限定]

楽天グループは自社で開発した低コスト通信技術をドイツの新興通信会社に輸出すると4日発表した。「仮想化」と呼ぶ通信機器をクラウド上のソフトウエアに置き換える技術で、これを使う通信網の設計・運用を独社から一括で請け負う。受注総額は2500億円超とみられる。仮想化は通信網の整備・運用コストを4割前後減らせるとされ、世界の通信会社が採用を進めている。普及に弾みがつきそうだ。

子会社の楽天モバイルが携帯通信事業を2020年に始め、新規参入の切り札として、仮想化技術の研究開発に注力してきた。技術は日本国内での自社通信網に活用するほか、海外の通信会社に提供する計画だ。今回、初めて技術を全面的に採用する具体的な提供先が決まった。

独の新興通信会社である1&1との間で、同社が整備する高速通信規格「5G」などの通信網向けに、技術を提供することで合意した。通信網の設計から保守・運用までを受注し、関係者によると、今後10年間で2500億～3000億円の収入を得るとしている。

1&1は現在は他社回線を借り通信を提供するMVNO（仮想移動体通信事業者）として独国内で1000万件超の契約を持つ。今後、自社回線のサービスを始める予定で、同国内でドイツテレコムなど既存3社に続く「第4の通信会社」となる。自社通信網の構築で楽天の技術を採用する。

仮想化は、従来の通信網では専用機器が担っていた情報処理をクラウド上のソフトウエアに移行させ、専用機器を減らす技術だ。機器が減り、コストを減らせる。世界の通信会社が採用を進めており、米新興のディッシュ・ネットワークも21年後半から導入し始める予定だ。

楽天の5G技術は、今夏に欧州で開かれたモバイル関連見本市「MWC」で表彰を受けるなど一定の評価を得ている。楽天は輸出先を増やし、技術提供で1兆円超の売り上げを計上する目標だ。

楽天は金融、電子商取引（EC）事業は好調だが、携帯通信事業は通信網の整備に向けた投資や販促の負担で赤字が続く。これが響き、連結業績も20年12月期まで2期連続で最終赤字だ。国内携帯プランは月0～2980円と低料金のため収益を上げにくい。早期の携帯通信事業の黒字化に向けて、技術輸出での収益が必要となっている。

Translation

Rakuten Group announced on the 4th that it would export its low-cost communication technology to an emerging German telecommunications company. It would use a technology that replaced software on the Cloud by using a communication equipment called "Virtualization”, and the design and operation of this equipment was the responsibility of a single company. The total amount of orders was estimated to be over 250 billion yen. It was said that Virtualization would reduce the maintenance and operation costs of communication networks by about 40%, and was being adopted by telecommunications companies around the world. It seemed that its spread could gain momentum.

As a subsidiary Rakuten Mobile started its mobile communication business in 2020 and had been focusing on research and development of virtualization technology as a trump card for new entrants. In addition to utilizing the technology for its own communication network in Japan, it planned to provide it to overseas communication companies. Now, for the first time, a specific destination had been decided to fully adopt this technology.

An agreement was reached with a Germany's emerging telecommunications company 1&1 to provide technology for telecommunications networks such as the high-speed telecommunications standard "5G" that was developed by Rakuten Mobile company. It accepted orders ranging from communication network design to maintenance and operation, and according to the related people, it could earn 250 to 300 billion yen over the next 10 years.

1&1 currently had more than 10 million contracts in Germany as an MVNO (Virtual Mobile Network Operator) that rented lines from other companies to provide communications. In the future, it planned to start its own line service, and to become the "fourth telecommunications company" following the existing three companies such as Deutsche Telekom in the country. It adopted Rakuten technology in building its own communication network.

In the conventional communication networks the information processing was performed using specialized devices, yet Virtualization was a technology that could reduce the number of specialized devices needed by shifting information processing to the software in Cloud. The equipment needed thus could be reduced and the cost went down as a result. This technology was being adopted by telecommunications companies around the world, and the emerging US dish network had scheduled to begin its introduction in the latter half of 2021.

Rakuten's 5G technology had received a certain reputation, including receiving an award at the mobile-related trade fair "MWC" held in Europe this summer. Rakuten aimed to increase export destinations and achieve a sales record of over 1 trillion yen by providing its technology.

Although Rakuten's financial and electronic commerce (EC) businesses were doing well, its mobile communications business continued to be in the red due to the burden of investment and sales promotion for the development of communication networks. As a close parallel to this, the consolidated financial result recorded a loss ending F/Y December 31, 2020, being the second consecutive year loss. It was difficult to make a profit because the domestic mobile plan was at a low charge of 0 to 2,980 yen a month. Revenue from technology exports would be needed to bring the mobile communications business into the black at an early stage.

              So, Rakuten Group will export its low-cost communication technology to an emerging German telecommunications company. It will use a technology called "Virtualization”.